Political Breakdown

What's up with Governor Gavin Newsom debating a presidential candidate? Marisa and Scott break down Newsom's motivations for going head-to-head with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis tonight. Then, KQED science reporter Danielle Venton joins to dig into the home insurance crisis in California, brought on by a changing climate and the resulting natural disasters. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scott and Marisa revisit a pair of conversations about politics and family, with California Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas and political strategist Dane Strother. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scott and Marisa are joined by KQED’s Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez to talk about the trial and verdict in the case of David DePape, who is accused of attacking Paul Pelosi with the hammer. Then, KQED politics and government correspondent Guy Marzorati joins to talk about protestors shutting down the Bay Bridge, Biden’s successful meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Guy’s weekend plans: covering the state Democratic Convention in Sacramento. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scott and Marisa discuss the role of abortion in Tuesday's elections in Ohio, Kentucky and Virginia. Then, Eric Early, a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, joins to discuss his background in the entertainment industry, why he joined striking actors on the picket line, why he believes former president Donald Trump's false claims about the 2020 election and how he would vote on abortion in the Senate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Marisa and Scott talk to San Francisco Chronicle politics reporter Sophia Bollag about covering Governor Gavin Newsom's trip to China. Then, former governor Jerry Brown joins to discuss Newsom's trip, U.S.-China relations, the upcoming APEC conference and his work at the California-China Climate Institute. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scott and Marisa analyze Governor Gavin Newsom's trips to Israel and China and discuss a state review of San Francisco's housing approval process. Then, Tia Orr, executive director of SEIU California, joins to talk about her rise in the labor movement, wins for labor in this year's legislative session and the ballot measure fight she's focused on in 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Senator Laphonza Butler announces she won't run for a full term 2024. Scott and Marisa discuss the surprise announcement as well as Governor Gavin Newsom's trip to Israel and what the ongoing dysfunction in the House of Representatives means for vulnerable California Republicans. Then, in the second part of their conversation at KQED Live, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi talks to Marisa and Scott about her husband Paul's recovery, her decision to run for re-election, homelessness in San Francisco and the Grateful Dead. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi joins Scott and Marisa at KQED Live to talk about the Israel-Hamas war and the Republican scramble to find a new speaker of the House of Representatives. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Marisa and Scott recap Dianne Feinstein's memorial service and hear Nancy Pelosi's memories of the former mayor and senator. Guy Marzorati joins to discuss Feinstein's legacy, California's new Senator Laphonza Butler and the choice facing Butler over whether to run for a full term. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Senator Dianne Feinstein, a champion of gun control who broke glass ceilings for women in local, state and national politics, died Thursday night. Marisa and Scott revisit their 2018 conversation with Feinstein about her life and career. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scott and Marisa discuss the Republican presidential primary debate in California and preview this weekend's GOP state party convention. Then, San José Mayor Matt Mahan joins to discuss his childhood in Watsonville, the career advice he got from Mark Zuckerberg and his efforts to build temporary housing for people experiencing homelessness in San José. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Marisa and Scott discuss the moves by Governor Gavin Newsom and Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara to shore up California's home insurance marketplace in the face of growing wildfire risk with Michael Wara, director of the Climate and Energy Policy program at Stanford University’s Woods Institute for the Environment. Then, KQED Labor Correspondent Farida Jhabvala Romero joins to talk about the wins for organized labor in this year's legislative session. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the last day of the legislative session, Scott and Marisa head to Sacramento and recap the most controversial bills heading to Governor Gavin Newsom's desk. Then, they talk about the governor's landmark reforms to mental health spending with Dana Williamson, Newsom's chief of staff and Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg. They discuss the history of the Mental Health Services Act, and share their personal connection to the issue and their response to criticisms of the reforms. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Assemblymember Reggie Jones-Sawyer, D-Los Angeles, talks to Marisa and Guy Marzorati about his uncle Jefferson Thomas and the Little Rock Nine, Proposition 47 and retail theft, his response to the fentanyl crisis, reparations for Black Californians, how he learned self-forgiveness and his "new journey" after a near-death experience. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tony Thurmond, State Superintendent of Public Instruction, joins Marisa and Guy Marzorati to discuss the transgender reporting policies roiling local school districts. Thurmond also discusses the family members who helped him through childhood loss, his path to state office and education in California during the pandemic. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tax fights between business groups and the Democratic legislature intensify in Sacramento. Marisa and Guy Marzorati discuss the implications for 2024 and head to Turlock to talk with Republican Rep. John Duarte about his plant nursery business, why he split with the GOP caucus in recent votes on immigration and abortion and his thoughts on the Republican presidential primary. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Marisa and Scott discuss the latest on Gov. Gavin Newsom's push for a U.S. constitutional amendment on gun safety and Sen. Dianne Feinstein's family legal battle. Then, former State Controller Betty Yee joins to discuss working at her parents' laundry business, the desegregation busing debate that sparked her political involvement, working as a budget advisor for Gov. Gray Davis, her vision for California's fiscal future, and why she's launching a run for governor in 2026. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

City employees hit the picket lines in Los Angeles while government workers in San Jose plan to strike next week. Scott and Guy Marzorati discuss the politics of labor unrest at city halls and a new survey on voter participation in California. Then, state Assemblyman Evan Low joins to discuss barriers to civic participation, his groundbreaking rise in elected office, whether California should sunset its state-sponsored travel ban to states with anti-LGBTQ laws and his effort to remove Proposition 8 from the state constitution. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As Donald Trump faces his third criminal indictment, Scott and Guy Marzorati discuss changes to the state's Republican primary that could benefit the former president, with Los Angeles Times political writer Seema Mehta. Then, as mayors around the state push to clear homeless encampments, Scott and Guy share what voters in a recent San Jose focus group had to say about the issue. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scott and Marisa discuss Governor Gavin Newsom's plan to reform San Quentin State Prison — and Scott shares what inmates are saying about it. Then, Los Angeles Times reporter Mackenzie Mays joins to discuss school board fights in Southern California that have caught the attention of Newsom and other state officials. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Marisa and Scott discuss the ongoing feud between the Temecula Valley Unified school board and Governor Gavin Newsom, after the board rejected instructional material referencing Harvey Milk. Then, tech executive and U.S. Senate candidate Lexi Reese joins to discuss her family's economic turmoil, her siblings' battles with addiction, what separates her from other Democrats in the race, how the Senate should regulate artificial intelligence and whether Congress should adopt Gusto's no-shoes policy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scott and Marisa talk to Megan Cassidy, San Francisco Chronicle crime reporter, and Gabrielle Lurie, San Francisco Chronicle staff photographer, about their investigation into Honduran migrants selling drugs in San Francisco. They talk about the genesis and findings of the investigation, respond to criticisms of their story and analyze the political fallout in San Francisco. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the second part of their conversation at KQED Live, Scott and Marisa talk to former Assembly Speaker and San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown about his unorthodox strategy for winning an Assembly seat, what he learned from Jesse Unruh, forging bonds with San Francisco's LGBTQ community and his years in the crosshairs of the FBI. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Supreme Court strikes down affirmative action in college admissions. Hours later, a California task force studying reparations for African-Americans delivers a groundbreaking final report. Marisa and Guy Marzorati discuss the political crosscurrents at play with Stephen Menendian, the Assistant Director and Director of Research at the Othering & Belonging Institute at UC Berkeley. Plus, Alexei Koseff, State Capitol Reporter at CalMatters joins to discuss the final state budget deal. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Anthony Rendon will soon step down as Assembly Speaker after the second-longest tenure in California history. Marisa and Guy Marzorati talk to Rendon about fatherhood and child care, the legislature's historic 2017 session, losing his speakership to Robert Rivas and his plans for the future. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Marisa and Guy Marzorati discuss the legislature's budget agreement and Governor Gavin Newsom's interview with Sean Hannity. Then, Assemblywoman Liz Ortega joins to talk about her journey to America, interpreting for family members and neighbors as a kid, her career in organized labor, her reaction to the budget deal to aid public transit and her thoughts on labor disputes over CEQA and housing. PLUS: Take our Political Breakdown newsletter survey. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Marisa and Guy Marzorati react to Governor Gavin Newsom's proposal for a 28th amendment on gun safety and talk to KQED politics editor Tyche Hendricks about the political and legal fallout from Florida Governor Ron DeSantis' flights carrying migrants to California. Then, Marlene Sanchez, executive director of the Ella Baker Center, joins to talk about getting arrested at age 11, her work bringing the voices of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated Californians to the halls of power, her views on the appropriate policy response to the fentanyl crisis and her support of Senate Bill 94, a controversial bill to allow the review of some older life sentences. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Marisa and Guy Marzorati discuss how the deal to raise the federal debt limit divided California House Democrats, with implications for the 2024 U.S. Senate race. Then, Annie Fryman, Director of Special Projects at SPUR joins to discuss her work with State Senator Scott Wiener crafting landmark changes to California housing law. She also lays out the stakes for California transit agencies in the ongoing negotiations over the state budget. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the first part of a conversation at KQED Live, Scott and Marisa talk to former Assembly Speaker and San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown about his childhood in Texas, the unlikely clients who propelled his early law career and how he met Dianne Feinstein. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Then, veteran political strategist Dane Strother joins to discuss his father's role in inventing modern political consulting, what ended his career in journalism, the use of artificial intelligence in campaigns, his firm's recent campaign victories in Wisconsin and why he thinks Gavin Newsom is "the most adroit politician in America." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scott and Marisa talk Sen. Dianne Feinstein's return to D.C. and Gov. Gavin Newsom's upcoming May budget proposal, which is expected to feature an ever-growing deficit. Then, former California chief justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye joins the show to talk about her new role as president and CEO of the Public Policy Institue of California, her legacy on the bench, and weighs in on the recent Supreme Court ethics scandal as reporting shows Justice Clarence Thomas accepting lavish gifts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scott and Marisa sit down with Robert Rivas, the incoming Speaker of the state Assembly, to discuss his grandfather's farmworker activism, politics in San Benito County, the legislature's response to the fentanyl crisis, his priorities as Assembly speaker and how he will address concerns about conflicts with his brother's political work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scott and Marisa talk about the booming business of massive warehouses sprouting up in Riverside as lawmakers seek to curb their climate impacts on neighbors, and President Joe Biden's 2024 re-election bid. Then, abortion historian and UC Davis School of Law professor Mary Ziegler joins the show to discuss how early concepts of "fetal personhood" influenced decades of arguments from abortion access opponents, and the future of the abortion pill Mifepristone, which is facing a legal threat. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scott and Marisa talk about Gov. Gavin Newsom's surprise visit to San Francisco's beleaguered Tenderloin neighborhood and what the state is doing to tackle the fentanyl crisis, as well as the struggle for abortion rights nationally and how that's impacting the GOP's strategy. Then, decades-long California political strategist Bill Wong talks about retirement and his new book "Better to Win," reflecting on what qualities make a strong leader, how Asian American Pacific Islanders fought open bigotry to ascend into state leadership, and how those AAPI leaders, in turn, helped their communities. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scott and Marisa discuss the latest calls for Senator Dianne Feinstein to resign and her call for a temporary replacement on the Senate Judiciary Committee. Then, BART Board Director Lateefah Simon joins to discuss growing up in San Francisco, her early work with Kamala Harris, facing threats in office and her run for Congress. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scott and Marisa discuss Governor Gavin Newsom's trip through southern states and some big fundraising totals in California's U.S. Senate race. Then, longtime political consultant Gale Kaufman joins to discuss her early interactions with Harvey Milk, learning from Willie Brown, her breakthrough campaigns in support of California unions and what she'd change about the state's system of direct democracy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scott and Guy Marzorati discuss the oil pricing reforms signed by Governor Gavin Newsom and the conspiracy-driven changes to voting in one California county. Then, Assemblymember Sabrina Cervantes joins to share why she voted for the oil bill, her unlikely election to the state legislature, chairing the California Latino Legislative Caucus in its 50th year and raising triplets with her wife. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hours after the state Assembly passed Gov. Gavin Newsom's legislation to create new oversight for the oil industry, Scott and Marisa discuss the proposal and its evolution since last fall. They also chew over this week's Los Angeles school strike -- and what it means for new L.A. Mayor Karen Bass. Then, California Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Jennifer Barrera joins to offer the industry take on the oil legislation, and talk about the business climate here in California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scott and Marisa discuss the fallout from the failure of Silicon Valley Bank and Governor Gavin Newsom's tour of California in lieu of a traditional State of the State speech. Then, they sit down with San Francisco Assemblyman Matt Haney to discuss his Bay Area upbringing, time on the San Francisco school board and what he's working on as he embarks on his first full term in Sacramento. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Marisa and Scott talk with CalMatters reporter Ben Christopher about his reporting on families ties in the state capitol and the special session on oil prices in the legislature. Then, state Assemblyman Rick Zbur joins to talk about his childhood on a New Mexico farm, his breakout fundraiser for Barbara Boxer, the state of LGBTQ candidates in California and what inspired him to run for the Assembly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scott and Marisa discuss new polling on Californians views of gun violence and how the 2024 Senate race is shaping the state's congressional playing field. Then, Dr. Mark Ghaly, Secretary of the California Health & Human Services Agency, joins to share his thoughts on the end of the COVID-19 state of emergency, what drew him to medicine, reflections on the state's response to the pandemic and the implementation of CARE Court reforms to mental health care. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Marisa and Scott discuss a new poll on California's U.S. Senate race from the Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies and what they learned from the first hearing of the legislature's special session on oil prices. Then, Teresa Romero, president of United Farm Workers, joins to discuss her childhood in Mexico, her journey into union leadership, the future of the UFW and her reaction to the mass shooting of farmworkers in Half Moon Bay. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scott and Marisa talk about the controversial firing of Oakland's police chief before reflecting on the career of Senator Dianne Feinstein, who announced this week that she won't be running for another term in 2024. And Shira Stein, Washington correspondent for the San Francisco Chronicle, joins to discuss reaction to Feinstein's retirement in D.C. and Feinstein's legacy on gun control. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Marisa and Scott discuss the Californians at the center of Joe Biden's State of the Union and the latest referendum to qualify for the 2024 ballot. Then, Assemblyman Joaquin Arambula joins to talk about his family's journey to California, watching his father's career in politics, his career as an emergency room doctor and his bid to be Speaker of the state Assembly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scott and Marisa discuss the latest endorsement news in California's U.S. Senate race and Governor Gavin Newsom's spat with Fresno County District Attorney Lisa Smittcamp. Then, California Labor Federation Executive Secretary-Treasurer Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher joins to talk about farmworker living conditions in the wake of the Half Moon Bay shootings, the referendum challenging California's new fast-food labor law and the speakership transition in the Assembly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Marisa and Scott discuss the political reaction to the mass shootings in Monterey Park and Half Moon Bay and the latest entrant into California's 2024 Senate race: Congressman Adam Schiff. Then, new Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price joins to talk about her childhood in foster care and the juvenile justice system, her activism in the civil rights movement and Yale, her career as a civil rights lawyer and her early moves as Alameda County's top prosecutor. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scott and Marisa take an early look at California's burgeoning race for U.S. Senate with Debbie Mesloh, longtime advisor to Kamala Harris, and Joe Garofoli, Senior Political Writer for the San Francisco Chronicle. They discuss what's ahead for Senator Dianne Feinstein, what's needed to launch a statewide campaign and the outlook for Katie Porter, Barbara Lee, Adam Schiff and Ro Khanna. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Marisa and Guy Marzorati analyze the early field in California's 2024 U.S. Senate race and discuss Gov. Gavin Newsom's budget proposal. Then, Solano County Assemblywoman Lori Wilson joins to talk about the turmoil in her childhood, the role of faith in her life, parenting a transgender child and what Newsom's special session targeting oil prices means for the refinery community in her district. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Marisa and Scott discuss Bakersfield Congressman Kevin McCarthy's quixotic quest of the House speakership. Then, Dana Williamson, Governor Gavin Newsom's new chief of staff discusses her return to the "horseshoe," what to expect from Newsom's inauguration, the special legislative session on gas prices and how a potential budget shortfall could affect the governor's agenda. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Marisa and Scott preview the year ahead in California politics, including oil policy at the capitol, new progressive prosecutors, housing fights and a brewing U.S. Senate race. Then, they revisit their conversation with Oakland's new mayor Sheng Thao. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices